US riding wave of confidence to World Cup knockout rounds after strong start to home tournament

IRVINE, Calif. (AP) — U.S. captain Tim Ream says his teammates all recognize the golden opportunity in front of them to make their nation's best World Cup run in their home tournament over the following days — and hopefully weeks.

Yet instead of feeling amplified pressure under the raised expectations created by their strong group round and a groundswell of national support, these Americans appeared to be energized by the opportunity to make history as they broke camp Monday at their training base in Orange County.

“Would it be weird if I told you I don't really feel too much pressure at this minute?” Ream said with a grin.

“I think we felt more pressure for that first game against Paraguay than anything, and that's coming from ourselves, not from anything on the outside," Ream added, referring to the Americans' impressive 4-1 win in their World Cup opener on June 12. "We just have to put in a performance the way we have in the group stage, and then we see where that takes us.”

The U.S. faces Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 32 in Santa Clara, California, on Wednesday night. The Americans are significantly favored — which is sort of an achievement in itself, given that this team has won exactly one knockout-round match in its entire World Cup history.

But these Americans are on the international stage with more optimism and likely more talent than nearly all previous editions of this team. Whether that translates into a deep run is still to be decided, but the Americans' confidence and excitement is undeniable.

“The game is going to be about us and what we're prepared to do, and what we have to do to advance,” U.S. striker Folarin Balogun said. “It’s crunch time. This is the business end, and this is the stage where, in my opinion, the big players step forward and the big players carry the pressure and make things happen.”

Although the Americans reached the semifinals at the inaugural World Cup in 1930 by winning their group, their only knockout victory came at the 2002 tournament when they beat Mexico in the round of 16.

The 38-year-old Ream believes the Americans felt more pressure four years ago in Qatar, when they muddled through group play before getting blasted 3-1 by the Netherlands in the first knockout round.

Those Americans weren't led by accomplished Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino, who has made strong tactical advancements and clearly instilled many of his players with a new kind of confidence after previous U.S. cycles were spent under more parochial coaching.

They also didn't have Balogun, the elite goal-scorer who made a major impact on the Americans' victories over Paraguay and Australia by a combined 6-1, clinching their group in style and rendering their third match meaningless.

Balogun's impact is undeniable on the field, but the Brooklyn-born, London-raised forward is also a focal point away from the field. This World Cup cycle has been his first significant exposure to U.S. culture, and that's an endless source of amusement and insight for his teammates.

“He says America is a simulation quite often,” defender Mark McKenzie said with a laugh. “We’ll be driving down the road and he’ll see something and be like, ‘What is that? Why is an individual dressed like that, or why are they throwing a sign up in the air on the corner? What is Bojangles?’ It’s stuff like that, where he’s like, ‘Bro! America! What is going on?’”

Many of the top Americans now play their club soccer internationally — another obvious factor in this team's improved competitiveness in this World Cup. Defender Chris Richards, an Alabama native who plays in London for Crystal Palace, says his team is more mature and more tested than most previous editions of the U.S. roster because of its experience at all levels of the sport.

And count Richards among those who find Balogun's culture shock to be a hilarious distraction during the down time on international breaks and this World Cup cycle.

“I think (Balogun) still has this notion that he says Americans aren’t real,” Richards said. “There’s some stuff that we do that doesn’t fly back in London. It's a lot to learn and especially when you’re only here for a few weeks at a time. It’s been cool (for Balogun) being able to see different pockets of America.”

NOTES: Injured players Cristian Roldan (quadriceps strain) and Auston Trusty (ankle) did modified training while their teammates went through a full workout Monday, but McKenzie (foot irritation) remained sidelined for a second straight day. Roldan hasn't played at this World Cup, while Trusty scored in the Americans' 3-2 loss to Turkey before he rolled his ankle late in the match. Roldan was on the field doing drills for the second straight day. McKenzie is getting treatment away from practice. None of the three injured Americans was expected to play a major role in the knockout rounds.

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

United States players attend a training session ahead of their FIFA World Cup match against Bosnia in Irvine, Calif., Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

United States' Chris Richards, left, and Antonee Robinson exercise during a training session ahead of their FIFA World Cup match against Bosnia in Irvine, Calif., Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

United States' Tim Ream speaks with the media before a training session ahead of a FIFA World Cup match against Bosnia in Irvine, Calif., Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

United States' Tyler Adams attends a training session ahead of a FIFA World Cup match against Bosnia in Irvine, Calif., Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

United States' Giovanni Reyna, center left, Antonee Robinson, center, and Tyler Adams practice during a training session ahead of their FIFA World Cup match against Bosnia in Irvine, Calif., Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Inmates overpowered correctional staff and took over parts of a jail in eastern North Carolina early Monday, but the siege ended hours later when law enforcement officers entered the facility and seized control.

Three guards and 88 inmates were inside the Bertie-Martin Regional Detention Center in Windsor when the takeover began at about 5 a.m., prompting an immediate response from local, state and federal authorities, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation said in a statement posted on social media.

By early afternoon, the Bureau of Investigation and the FBI had “cleared the facility,” the state bureau said in a statement. ”All inmates and staff are safe and accounted for, and those who sustained injuries have received treatment.”

Inmates have been transferred to other facilities and the jail will remain secured while the damage is assessed, the Bureau of Investigation said. The 90-bed jail located about 120 miles (190 kilometers) east of Raleigh houses pretrial detainees and short-term inmates for Bertie and Martin counties.

Inmates took two guards captive and the third guard escaped. Negotiations led to the release of the two guards along with 80 inmates, leaving only eight inmates inside, Bertie County Sheriff Tyrone Ruffin said at a news conference.

Ruffin said the two guards who were released were undergoing medical treatment but he had no details about their injuries.

Most of the remaining inmates “complied and exited the facility as soon as entry was made,” said Chad Flowers, a spokesperson for the State Bureau of Investigation.

It wasn’t immediately known whether officers fired any lethal or non-lethal rounds upon entering the jail. In a telephone interview, Flowers said law enforcement officials were in a meeting about the incident and unavailable late Monday afternoon.

Flowers also referred questions about the facility's security to a jail administrator, who did not immediately return a telephone message. Authorities have not addressed why there were three guards overseeing the jail at the time of the takeover.

“The perpetrators must be held accountable for this horrifying action," Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, said on the social platform X. "We also must do everything in our power to ensure this doesn’t happen again — and that includes doing more to recruit, retain, and compensate the county and state officials who are charged with keeping our jails and prisons safe.”

Ruffin did not indicate what caused the takeover.

“Right now we have a lot going on that we're trying to get under control," he said. "I will release that information to the public as soon as I can.”

In this photo provided by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, law enforcement officers wait outside the Bertie-Martin Regional Detention Center on Monday, June 29, 2026, in Windsor, N.C. (North Carolina Bureau State Bureau of Investigation via AP)

In this photo provided by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, law enforcement officers loads inmates for transport Monday, June 29, 2026, at the Bertie-Martin Regional Detention Center in Windsor, N.C. (North Carolina Bureau State Bureau of Investigation via AP)

In this photo provided by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, law enforcement officers load an inmate for transport Monday, June 29, 2026, at the Bertie-Martin Regional Detention Center Windsor, Bertie County, N.C. (North Carolina Bureau State Bureau of Investigation via AP)